A DAILY muse on events along the path of developing and nurturing my business.

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Delight of Deletion

About four months ago I embarked on a campaign to eliminate many/most of my existing contacts on my contact list. ("Getting Rid of Contacts").

After one month I found that most of them were gone. My target market is NOT the 2-man legal firm on The Danforth at Coxwell.

Yesterday I made a follow-up call to an email I'd sent two weeks ago.

Got the Gatekeeper; Brian is in a meeting, what's this about?

I've learned from gurus that I am NOT to sell to the Gatekeeper; my business with Brian is none of their business; my business with the Gatekeeper is to learn when might be a good time to call back.

Brian called back 15 minutes later, tore a strip off me for being rude to the gatekeeper (I wasn't rude, but her perception of my refusal to publicize my private business was that I was rude).

We got over that.

I cleared my throat and began with my lead sentence, but Brian interrupted me telling me we had spoken about that two weeks ago.

I learn from gurus how to "handle objections", so I agreed with Brian and explained that I was making a follow-up call on my email which, Brian interrupted to tell me, I'd promised to send but didn't send.

Off the phone I checked my records.

Management measures!

On Tuesday the 17th, just two weeks before, we chatted for less than 7 minutes and I issued an email to the address he had requested.

I am fairly sure I know what happened:

(1) Brian has someone vet all email that goes through the info@ address

(2) He treats with disdain any email that arrives at the info@ address

(3) He hires his wife as receptionist, and rises to her defense whenever she is upset.

I also know that

(4) I deleted him from my contact list.

I'm not looking to do business with prospects who can't communicate; after all, suppose I got a contract. What do you suppose it would be like trying to communicate specifications?